Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Ningguo Mansion is where all eight branches of the Jia family in the capital, and all those who have even a little influence, gather.

Everyone is worried about the future of Ningguo Prefecture.

However, no one could come up with a convincing solution or method.

Upon hearing that Jia Lian had returned, everyone quickly stood up and greeted him in front of the hall.

Jia Zheng took the lead and asked first, "Lian'er, what brings His Majesty to see you?"

Jia Lian replied, "His Majesty already knows what happened in this mansion. He was furious and summoned me to the palace to reprimand me."

"Ah~!"

Everyone was shocked to hear this.

When the emperor is angry, he will kill people at the drop of a hat.

Some people even cried out to the heavens, "It's all over, it's all over," and "The Jia family is finished."

Everyone in the Jia family knows that Jia Lian was a "favorite general" personally promoted by the emperor. Now that even Jia Lian has been demoted by the emperor one after another, and the Ningguo Mansion has been embroiled in one scandal after another, angering the emperor, how can the Jia family not be doomed?

Some people who were extremely afraid of imperial power had already begun to plan whether they should avoid getting too close to the two mansions in the future, so as not to be implicated if something happened.

Even those who aren't so pessimistic think that since the emperor is so dissatisfied with the Ningguo Mansion, it's very likely that the Ningguo Mansion's title won't be passed down.

Once the title of nobility is broken, the Ningguo Mansion is basically finished.

Jia Zheng also looked fearful and pressed for an answer: "Does His Majesty have any other decrees or instructions?"

Faced with this group of so-called nobles who were filled with anxiety and fear at the first sign of trouble, Jia Lian shook his head.

He bowed slightly to Jia Jing, who was walking with a cane behind him, and said, "Gentlemen, there is no need to worry too much."

Although His Majesty reprimanded me severely, out of respect for our ancestors and because I promptly expressed my remorse on behalf of the family, His Majesty did not make things too difficult for me.

It only means that I must strictly discipline my clansmen from now on, otherwise...

Master, Master Jing, speaking of which, our Jia family has enjoyed a glorious history of a hundred years, but indeed, many unworthy sons have emerged from our family.

These people really need to be disciplined.

In the past, it was fine as long as our family kept a low profile. But now that a concubine has emerged in our family, we are at the height of our wealth and power. Some members of the family are bound to become arrogant and domineering, and their misbehavior is very likely to bring trouble to the family.

After being reprimanded by His Majesty, I deeply understand that if I do not follow the example of the old Duke and strictly govern my family, I fear the consequences will be endless.

Jia Lian's words, which were half statement and half intimidation, caused Jia Zheng and the others to change color.

Jia Zheng sighed, "Yes, it's time to really clean things up."

Jia Jing had been practicing Taoism for many years, perhaps in pursuit of an "ethereal and otherworldly appearance." He looked thin and bony, with graying temples. If it weren't for the sorrowful and somewhat panicked look on his face, he might have truly resembled a highly accomplished Taoist master.

Seeing that everyone in the family supported Jia Lian's statement, Jia Jing showed a hint of guilt and had no choice but to say, "Brother Lian is right."

Alas, it's also my fault. Over the years, in pursuit of the Great Way, I entrusted the family business to Zhen'er.

I initially thought that although he was incompetent, he was at least capable of maintaining the status quo, but I never expected...

"Well, well, in short, it's all the fault of our eldest son's family. But please, everyone, consider that I'm almost seventy years old now, and Zhen'er has suffered such a tragic fate, and forgive me this once."

Seeing Jia Jing's words so poignant and moving, the crowd couldn't bear to be angry with him. Instead, they kindly tried to persuade the eldest brother of the third generation of the Jia family.

Seeing that everyone's resentment had dissipated, Jia Jingcai continued, "As for what Lian-ge'er said about managing the family, as you all know, I am no longer a worldly person and can no longer understand these matters."

After Zhen'er and Rong'er's matter is settled, I will return to Xuanzhen Temple to continue my cultivation.

Therefore, I'm entrusting the family affairs to you, Brother Zheng and Brother Lian.

Jia Jing's words were also a response to those who had previously advised him to abandon Taoism and return to secular life.

With Jia Zhen dead and Jia Rong having committed a serious crime, Jia Jing is now the only man in the Ningguo Mansion who can hold things together.

Therefore, many family members advised him to come back and revitalize the family.

He certainly wouldn't agree to that.

He had long since lost all attachment to the secular world and was single-mindedly devoted to cultivating Taoism and becoming an immortal; otherwise, he wouldn't have lived in a Taoist temple for so many years.

He was heartbroken by the accident involving his son and grandson, but it only strengthened his resolve to follow the Tao. He even thought that by having no more attachments, he might be closer to the Great Tao.

There was nothing anyone could do about Jia Jing's stubbornness. Besides, Jia Jing was indeed very old and looked frail, so they couldn't bear to force him and could only let him be.

Back in the hall and seated again, Jia Zheng asked Jia Lian, "What about Rong'er's matter? Have you gone to the Shuntian Prefecture to negotiate with Lord Weng? Is there any room for leniency?"

Jia Lian shook his head and said, "Not only in Shuntian Prefecture, but also in the palace, when His Majesty's tone softened, I tried to exonerate Rong'er, but I was immediately reprimanded by His Majesty, so I dared not say anything more."

"From what I understand, His Majesty intends to treat this matter as a major case of our dynasty, to be dealt with strictly according to the law, and absolutely not to allow us to interfere, otherwise the consequences will be unpredictable."

Everyone was startled once again.

They did not doubt what Jia Lian said.

The scandals of Jia Zhen's incestuous relationship and Jia Rong's patricide were indeed enough to enrage the emperor. However, some people had previously harbored a侥幸心理 (a gambler's mentality), believing that their family's power could preserve the Ningguo Mansion's only remaining bloodline.

"So, Rong'er is completely beyond saving?"

Jia Zheng asked in a deep voice, while Jia Jing above him merely looked even more gloomy, without offering any further comment.

Jia Lian said, "After leaving the palace, I went directly to Shuntian Prefecture."

Prefect Weng treated our family quite well. He told me that His Majesty had summoned him that morning and strictly ordered him to work with the Ministry of Justice to handle cases in accordance with the law and not to bend the law for personal gain.

Lord Weng also said that, based on the crimes Rong'er committed, the Ministry of Justice would at least sentence her to immediate execution, or even death by a thousand cuts…”

The pampered gentlemen of the Jia family, accustomed to a life of ease, turned pale upon hearing this.

Jia Lian, however, acted as if nothing had happened and continued in a steady voice, "Nephew is naturally reluctant, but after much thought, even if we do our best, we may not be able to rescue Rong'er."

There's also the possibility that it could bring disaster upon the family.

The elders of the Jia family said, "Lian'er is right. His Majesty is already dissatisfied with our Jia family. We really can't let Rong'er alone give His Majesty any more leverage over us."

"That's right, that's right. Anyway, this is Rong'er's own fault. Even if Brother Zhen is wrong, he is still his father. How can he be so disrespectful? I think he is a disobedient and unfilial beast who deserves to die..."

There are many people in the world who simply follow the crowd.

Even the powerful Jia family was no exception. Seeing that Jia Lian, the leader of the younger generation, had spoken like this, they immediately echoed him, and they were far less concerned with appearances than Jia Lian. They said things like, "Not removing Jia Rong from the family register is already a lenient gesture; we absolutely cannot let such a disgraceful descendant plunge the family into danger again."

Faced with the public's outrage, even Jia Jing, who most wanted to save Jia Rong, could only sigh inwardly and never mention the matter again.

Jia Lian then said, "But Rong'er is, after all, the eldest son of the Jia family, and I really can't bear to see him suffer such cruel torture and end up with his head separated from his body."

So, during my visit, I told Rong'er everything.

At this point, Jia Lian stood up and bowed to Jia Jing, saying, "Please forgive me, Master Jing. I know that doing this might make Rong'er have suicidal thoughts."

But I think that as a son of the Jia family, if I can face life and death head-on, I would be a hero.

At least, in the end, he did not betray the honor of the Jia family.

Jia Jing was bewildered by Jia Lian's actions and asked in surprise, "Lian-ge'er, do you mean, Rong'er, he... he's already..."

Jia Lian nodded: "Yes, Rong'er has already gone."

After realizing he had no chance of survival, he publicly expressed his remorse to me and then bravely committed suicide.

He said this was the last thing he did for his family; he sacrificed his life to preserve the family's last shred of dignity.

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, Jia Jing finally couldn't hold back his tears.

He stretched out his hand tremblingly, but it fell limply to the ground in the end. He sighed and said, "Get up. This is not your fault. It was him. It was their own bad character that led to this end."

Finally, at the last moment, he didn't disgrace the family, and he can be considered worthy of being a descendant of the Jia family.

Xun Gui has his own pride. Unless he is at his wit's end and his family is raided and he is questioned, how can he bear to see his clansmen beheaded and laughed at by those common people?

This is why Jia Jing, who knew nothing about his grandson Jia Rong, believed Jia Lian's words without question.

Among the Jia family, some shrewd individuals immediately noticed the flaws in Jia Lian's words.

That spineless brat, Rong-ge'er?

Even with a knife to his throat, he might still be begging for mercy. Would he so readily die for the sake of his family's reputation? It's more likely that Jia Lian, seeing no chance to save him, ordered Jia Rong to commit suicide to quickly quell the matter and for the sake of the family's honor.

As for how much of it was voluntary and how much was forced or coerced, that remains unknown.

From their perspective, they would also like to see this outcome.

Therefore, they had no doubts whatsoever. On the contrary, they praised Jia Lian for his thoughtfulness and echoed Jia Jing, saying that Jia Rong did not disgrace the Jia family in the end.

This also led to the suppression of the suggestion from some members of the family to remove Jia Rong from the family genealogy.

Jia Rong's name was finally preserved in the family genealogy, which was undoubtedly the last thing that brought Jia Jing some comfort.